Data: Attributes of Local U.S. Public Media Newsrooms

Abstract:
Using survey research from 2010-2012, the author describes in unprecedented detail the capacity and practices of local
public media newsrooms. His survey work provides staffing, budgeting and
programming patterns. It also provides an initial baseline from which to track emerging trends in
local public media news. This installment provides an overview. It is derived from a presentation to the Broadcast Education Association in April 2013.

Public
Media News Staffing

The
census of journalists found 3222 people are
paid to create the local news you get from public media stations. Radio employs the largest share of these news people.

﻿
Below is another
look at the same data… only this compares full time local news workers to the part timers… and the
contractors. Almost two thirds of the journalists are
full time employees.

Seventy-five percent of the journalists in public media are employed by 25% of the stations. The chart below sorts newsrooms by "weight class" -- a schema created by the author as a way to talk about news room sizes. On the
left are the featherweights, newsrooms of 1 full time or less. Over half the
stations have newsrooms in the featherweight class. As the newsrooms get bigger, we have
fewer of them, but more journalists employed. A third of all local public media journalists are from the middle weight newsrooms.

Evidence of Newsroom Growth

Having only just established our baseline measurement of newsroom employment, we can't yet say by what increments they are changing. However, we have general trend information indicating they have been growing every year from 2010 to 2013.

The chart below -- from the 2010 newsroom survey -- shows that more than a fourth of all public media stations saw actual growth in 2010 or predicted growth in 2011 in their local newsrooms.

Similarly, only more robustly, the same question in the 2012 survey showed both actual growth in 2012 and projected growth in 2013.

Local Public Media Journalists by Primary and Secondary Roles

What
do those local journalists do? Here is how their primary roles sort out systemwide. Note the very small slice that are tasked with online duties. Also note the
rather small slice devoted to editing.

In the majority of newsrooms, people have to wear two hats. Below is the distribution of these secondary roles. Again, the online role is a small slice. The
editing slice gets bigger when it comes to being a secondary role.

Most Local Journalists Have Online Duties

While online workers were a very small part of the local public media news force, that is not to say that stations weren't tasking their people with online responsibilities. The data below, from 2010, show most local news workers (62%) share online duties with
their broadcast duties. So online is a
big part of the picture… as stations migrate from the broadcast platform to the digital platform. Many people have a foot in both areas.

Local On Air News Content

The following charts were taken from the 2012 survey of local public media newsrooms. They assess the degree of "commitment of resources" to various broadcast news programming types.

The patterns found were similar to those found in 2010. (The 2010 radio breakout can be found here. The methodology used was slightly different, but the general trends are comparable.)

The most commonly supported news content was the newscast. (This is driven by radio. Few public TV stations commit to local newscasts.)

Next, in terms of common commitment, is the staple of local news coverage: the news feature.

Some say public media doesn't cover breaking news. But that's not true. This category of content seems to be gaining station commitment.

Local news talk shows show a high commitment from more than a third of public media stations.

Local radio and TV news magazines are resource intensive. Not of lot of stations can commit to them.

Even more resource intensive is the local news documentary. Well over half of stations show minimal commitment to making documentaries:

While local stations are seeking more ways to engage their communities, it would appear that conducting on air town hall meetings is not the way to go for most.

Likewise, producing local news commentaries is anathema to the vast majority of stations.

Local On Air News Time Increasing

Earlier we showed evidence of stations growing their local news staffing. Below, we see that stations are also increasing the amount of air time devoted to local news.

Local Online News Content

What types of online news content are local stations offering?

These charts are from the 2012 survey of local public media newsrooms. They are presented in order from most common to least common online content types.

Text is the predominant news vehicle online. It ranks highly among local stations.

Facebook ranks as a high commitment among a third of stations... and as a medium commitment from another third of stations.

Similarly, Twitter showed significant commitment by local newsrooms. Comparied to 2010 (not shown), Twitter showed a significant increase in local station prevalence.

Use of photos in local online news? More medium commitment than high commitment.

At this point, there's a rather big drop off in the online efforts of local public media stations.

More than half of stations give low commitment to online comments.

Even fewer lean in the direction of blogging.

While video is considered very appealing to online users, local public media are generally uncommitted to video in local online news.

Maps, too, are unlikely to be found in the online offerings of local public media newsrooms.

One more. User-generated content is among the least likely content forms to be found in local public media news.

Increasing Local Online News Quantity

The 2012 local news survey shows how widely stations are stepping up their online offerings.

This chart looks at online growth for the year 2012. Over half the stations increased their online news quantity.

The chart that follows shows the percentage of stations planning to increase local online news in 2013 is roughly two-thirds.

Station Satisfaction with On Air and Online Local News

When asked to evaluate their local news according to NPR standards, almost two-thirds of stations were satisfied or very satisfied with what they were putting on their broadcast transmitters.

However, much of that satisfaction turned to dissatisfaction when the same question was applied to online news content. Only a third of stations are satisfied or very satisfied with their online news.

Analysis

Questions about the capacity and capabilities of local public radio and television newsrooms is of national, timely significance. In light of harsh media disruption, there have been numerous calls for public media to step up and serve the information needs of local communities (Knight Commission 2009) (Downie & Schudson 2009) (Cochran 2010).

Public media is trying to respond to the call. Prevalent thinking emphasizes local (and national) public service journalism (SRG 2010) (Kling 2011). The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has invested widely in such efforts as Local Journalism Centers, Localore, NCME, a local ethics project and the "Public Media Platform" for digital distribution. Moreover, professional membership groups like PRNDI, PRPD, DEI and others are emphasizing local news funding and training projects.

The data here provide a baseline by which we can eventually compare the future to the past. It also indicates where the present action is.

We see positive signs. Stations are growing their local news ranks. They are adding local news programming. And they are really pushing for more local news online.

But we can also see that the response has been uneven. The bulk of the local journalism efforts have come from radio stations. The heavy lifting is getting done by the larger newsrooms. And there remains a big gap between what's happening on-air and what's happening online.

About the Data

The information here is drawn from four primary sources:

2010 Census of
Journalists (CPB/PRNDI 2010) – The first ever attempt to count every
journalist in local U.S. public radio and TV stations, as certified by the Corporation
for Public Broadcasting. The study was sponsored by CPB, contracted to Public
Radio News Directors Inc., and conducted by Michael V. Marcotte with help from
Steve Martin and Ken Mills. This online, invitation-only survey reached 516
public media organizations (89% of the target universe of 576 organizations). Data used by permission of CPB.

2010 Supplemental Survey
of Stations (MVM/PRNDI 2010) – A survey run by Michael V. Marcotte, in
partnership with PRNDI. This online survey was optional for those filing the
2010 Census of Journalists and reached 397 organizations.

2011 Station Activity
Survey (CPB 2011) – The annual data collection survey conducted by CPB in
conjunction with its community service grant process. Included here is a new
(and voluntary) section to begin regular tabulation of local news personnel. 504
organizations participated.

2012 Survey of
Stations (MVM/UNR/USC 2012) – A survey run by MVM Consulting in
coordination with the University of Nevada School of Journalism, where Marcotte
is a visiting professor. Collaborating on the invitation only, online survey
was PhD candidate Sandra Evans of The Annenberg School of Communication at the
University of Southern California. 136 stations participated.

About the Author

Michael V. Marcotte is the 2012-2013 Reynolds
Chair in Ethics of Innovative and Entrepreneurial Journalism at the University
of Nevada, Reno. He is a 2011 Knight Fellow of Stanford University. For 20
years, Marcotte served as a public broadcasting news executive in Seattle and
San Diego. Now based in Albuquerque, he runs a consultancy for public media advancement.

*Funding and piloting a public media partnership in New Mexico: People, Power & Democracy (with help from the Thornburg Foundation)
*Expanding start-up news partnership New Mexico News Port at Univ of New Mexico (funded by Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation)
*Consulting project for Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations, "News Across All Platforms."
*Teaching Advanced Multimedia Reporting course and Intermediate Reporting course at University of New Mexico.
*Preparing the 2nd Annual PRNDI News Manager Training and Certification Workshop (for PRNDI 2015 Conference in Salt Lake City

Mike has finished working on:

* Presentation at Online News Association conference, Chicago, September 2014, "Hack Your Curriculum" *Launching start-up news partnership New Mexico News Port at UNM (winner of ONA Challenge Fund for Innovation in Journalism Education
* Presentation at Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication conference, Montreal, August 2014, "Hack Your Curriculum: Collaborate with Local Media on Your Journalism Project"
*Managing editor of the Generation Justice / Next Generation Radio multimedia journalism bootcamp.
*Planning and leading a public media news manager training and certification workshop at 2014 PRNDI Conference
* Presentation/Workshop at New Mexico Broadcasters Association annual conference, Albuquerque, June 2014, "Leveraging University Partnerships to Expand News Coverage."
* Presentation at Broadcast Education Association Conference, April 2014 -- Network analysis of digital influencers (data from MVM/UNR/USC Survey of Local Public Media Newsrooms) with Sandra Evans of USC.
* Recruiting a Managing Editor for KUHF, Houston Public Media
* Updating the Public Radio News Directors Guide for PRNDI
* Help launch national project to bridge local NPR stations with freelance journalists
* Search Committee for Nevada Media Alliance Coordinator at University of Nevada.
* Teaching Intermediate Reporting at the University of New Mexico, Fall 2013.
* Advisor to J-Lab on "News Chops:, Beefing Up Journalism in Local Public Broadcasting"
* Presenting a Strategic Planning Workshop for News Directors at PRNDI Conference 2013
* Presenting "Design-Thinking" Workshop at PRNDI Conference 2013
* Working with Capital Public Radio on a long range strategic plan
* Editor and Web Producer for NPR Next Generation Bootcamp at University of Nevada, Reno, School of Journalism
* Established a university-professional media partnership in Reno: Nevada Media Alliance between UNR, KUNR, KNPB and RGJ Newspaper
* Visiting Professor in Ethics & Innovation Chair, Reynolds School of Journalism, University of Nevada, Reno
* Academic presentation, "Reaching for the NPR Star: Attributes of Local NPR Station Newsrooms," to the What is Radio Conference at Univ of Oregon, Portland
* Academic presentation, "Window on Change: Emerging Attributes of Local Public Media Newsrooms," to the Broadcast Educators Association at NAB Conference in Las Vegas
* Academic paper, "Return of Voluntary Media Ethics in the Network Era," to the Western States Communication Association conference in Reno
* Reviewing applications for CPB funding* Producing a local news plan for public radio station KCBX
* Moderator, "Journalism in the Digital Age," at 2012 Public Radio Programming Conference, Las Vegas
* Iowa Public Radio Newsroom Training Project
* Advising Arabella Advisors on philanthropic opportunities in local public media.
* Marketing and Business Planning for Indie-Edit, a premium editing service for public radio journalists.
* News Director Recruitment for KERA, North Texas Public Media, Dallas.
* Ethics Presentation, "Public Media Ethics Never Log Off," at PRNDI Conference, Houston, June 2012.
* Article for Current (Newspaper for U.S. Public Radio & Television) on Local Newsroom Weight Classifications
* Writer/Facilitator for "Public Media Ethics Never Log Off: Guidelines for Public Media Employees in the Off-Hour Activities" (PM Integrity Project Paper #6)
* Rapporteur for the Public Media Integrity meeting in Madison, WI.
* A Proposal with J-Lab to Evaluate 7 U.S. "Local Journalism Centers" for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
* A Knight Journalism Fellowship at Stanford University. Project Focus: "Rewriting the NPR News Station Playbook." September 2010-June 2011.
*Presenting to The Media Coalition, "Innovation Labs in Public Media News," May 2011.
*Presenter, Palo Alto Rotary Club, "Changing Face of NPR News," April 2011.
*Judging awards for Public Radio News Directors, Winter 2011.
*Facilitating a "Digital Strategy Retreat" for Capital Public Radio in Sacramento, March 2011.
* Roundtable Presenter for Aspen Institute on "Rethinking Public Media: More Local, More Inclusive, More Interactive," December 2010.
* Facilitator for Editors Retreat, KQED, San Francisco. November 2010.
*A Census of Journalists in Public Radio and Television For the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Summer 2010
* Critique Panel, Aspen Institute, White Paper on Public Media, Summer 2010.
* Team Planning for the 2010 Public Radio Programming Conference
* Multimedia Training Workshop for PRNDI
* Ethical Case Studies Session for News Directors
* Regional Reporter Training by PRNDI in Louisville, KY
* Judging for the Charles E. Green Journalism Awards
*Judging for the Public Radio News Directors Awards
* Writing and submitting a client proposal to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's "Strengthening Local Journalism" RFP
* Planning a Training Program for the CPB-funded "Local Journalism Center" -- The Plains Stations* Planning news training and regional sharing for WSKG
* The Website and marketing for Advanced Psychiatric Care
* Reviewing "American Voices" for the Ken Mills Agency
* Northeastern Regional Reporter Training by PRNDI
* Western Regional Reporter Training by PRNDI
* Providing assessment and individualized training plans for the news/talk staff of Iowa Public Radio
* Spot news coverage of Santa Barbara wildfires for NPR
* Launching The Public Radio News Director's Guide for NPR and the Local News Initiative, presented by PRNDI
* Management Workshop for Southern Stations Sponsored by NPR's Local News Initiative
* Content Track Planning for IMA's 2009 Public Media Conference in Atlanta. Session Title: "The New News Model"
* Managing Editor for NPR's Next Generation Project at the "College Media Conference" in Kansas City, October 2008
* "The Four Tiers" -- a workshop for PRNDI Conference 2008
* "Improving Your Delivery" -- a workshop for PRNDI 2008
* Serving as the News Curator for PRX (Public Radio Exchange)
* Health Dialogues Program Assessment for KQED, San Francisco
* Midwestern Regional Reporter Training by PRNDI NewsWorks
* Southern Regional Reporter Training by PRNDI NewsWorks
* Radio News Standards and Practices Training for Broadcasters at Free North Korea, Open Radio and Radio Free Chosun -- all based in Seoul, South Korea (funded by NED (National Endowment for Democracy)
* News Evaluation for KTOO, Juneau, Alaska
* Planning and Moderating the "One Staff, Many Platforms" session at 2008 Public Media Conference in Los Angeles (Sponsored by the Integrated Media Association)

Michael V. Marcotte2011 Knight Journalism FellowStanford University

(Video of Michael V. Marcotte summarizing his innovation labs proposal at the "Re-Engineering Journalism" event at Stanford, May 2011.)